Treat others the way you want others to treat you. This statement seems so easy, but in the real world it seems like an impossibility, especially for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. 

In his most recent rant, directed toward wide receiver Michael Crabtree of the San Francisco 49ers, Sherman decided he would take the opportunity of a post-game interview to let a national audience know he is the best cornerback in the game and that Crabtree basically had no chance against him. 

This is not an article written from the perspective of a sore loser whose team did not make it to the Super Bowl. This is a request to all athletes and coaches to stop acting like sore winners and just do their jobs. 

Even Sherman recognized he was out of line after what he did. 

“I apologize for attacking an individual and taking the attention away from the fantastic game by my teammates. That was not my intent,” Sherman told ESPN’s Ed Werder in a text message on Monday. 

However, the apology has a little less weight to it because this isn’t the first time Sherman has gone on such a rant after a game. Here’s a look at the top incidences of the cornerback publicly trash-talking more than he should. 

Brady vs. Sherman

The incident: Richard Sherman beats Tom Brady; taunts the Pats with ‘U MAD BRO?’ after the game

After a 2012 game in which Sherman turned in a dominant performance against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the cornerback tried to address some of Brady’s own trash talk that occurred on the field. 

Sherman proceeded to tweet a picture of himself and Brady with the caption, “U mad bro?”

The real question is, did Sherman really expect a response from Brady?

Brady has a wife and kids at home. He has to figure out which receivers he has to utilize on a weekly basis. Finally, he is to mature, in age and demeanor, to publicly attack another player or to give in to the taunts and retaliate without class. Sherman might want to take a page out of that playbook sometime. 

Revis vs. Sherman

The incident: Who won the Revis/Sherman Twitter feud?

Twitter seems to give Sherman some sort of extra comfort because he decided to stoop to rival cornerback Darrelle Revis’ level in an Internet battle last February. Revis called out Sherman for trash talking and Sherman proceeded to fit the bill by trashing Revis for not having comparable statistics. 

Since when are those statistics not enough? Numbers and performance will speak for themselves. Twitter is just a waste of time, and this Internet war proves why some professional athletes refuse to even use social media. 

Harbaugh vs. Sherman

The incident: Sherman: Harbaugh snubbed me

Sherman tried in this situation to say “good game” to his former college coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh, after a 29-3 win against the 49ers in September of last year. Sherman claimed Harbaugh said nothing back to him, while Harbaugh said he didn’t realize it was Sherman until after the player patted him on the back. 

After the game, in an interview with NFL Network Sherman said Harbaugh had poor sportsmanship.

It shouldn’t even matter to Sherman because he claims to not even have a relationship with his former coach in the first place. This is like a junior high girl getting upset at a boy she likes because he didn’t text her back, even if he forgot to respond or had some other good reason for not replying.

The field after games becomes crazy with all of the cameras and people crowded together and walking in different directions, so it is just as likely that Harbaugh had a good reason for not responding to Sherman until he was walking away. 

           

Crabtree vs. Sherman

The incident: CB Richard Sherman apologizes

The most recent slip by Sherman epitomizes the character of a player who does not know how to handle success. Calling a receiver “sorry” and “mediocre,” and then demanding respect for one’s own performance is just absurd. 

It doesn’t matter if Crabtree provoked Sherman or not. It wouldn’t have mattered if reporter Erin Andrews had asked him a question about the incident or not. Sherman could have conducted himself in a more professional manner. Had he done that, his image would be much more respectable.  

Every instance of Sherman’s actions is inappropriate and taints a game filled with potential role models for fans everywhere. Sherman represents something bigger than himself, and as soon as he realizes his performance can talk louder than his mouth ever will his reputation will finally reach the greatness he believes it deserves.